Spot-breasted Oriole

Large terrestrial dove found in a variety of habitats including forest edges, dense secondary growth, and mature forest understory. Skulking and easy to overlook, but can often be seen walking on quiet trails early and late in the day. In flight, white tips on outer tail feathers are often visible, like in similar White-tipped Dove, but with less extensive white. Also distinguished from that species by red, not blue skin around eye, and brighter more contrasting gray forehead. Frequently heard song is a mournful “hoop,” repeated every 5–10 seconds, particularly in the morning.

Huge albatross of the Southern Ocean; the southernmost breeder of the Wandering Albatross complex (including Snowy, Tristan, Antipodean, and Amsterdam albatrosses). Main colonies on South Georgia in the South Atlantic, and various islands in the southern Indian Ocean, but ranges extensively at sea. Plumage highly variable, starting chocolate-brown with a white face and gradually becoming whiter over many years. Younger birds separated from Southern Royal Albatross by darker tail, brown markings on head and back, and lack of black “lips” on cutting edge of bill. Older birds more difficult to separate; focus on more coarsely marked upperwings, often with conspicuous white patch in center of wing, and lack of black “lips”. Often shows orange stain on cheek, never shown by Southern Royal. Identification from other Wandering-type Albatross, especially “Gibson’s” Antipodean and Tristan, extremely difficult and often presumed by range. Adult male Snowy is the whitest of any Wandering, but intermediate ages often best left unidentified.

A chunky, large-billed sunbird of dry country. In poor light, males look black with a red breast. Good light reveals green whiskers and forehead and a purple shoulder and rump. Females are brown on the back with dark mottling below. Found in dry thorn savanna. Very similar to Scarlet-chested Sunbird, though generally found in drier habitat. Males are separated by their purple shoulder and rump and by the lack of blue barring within the red breast patch. Females are tricky, but average paler, especially on the underparts. The most common call is a deep “chyup,” and the song is a typical sunbird jumble.